NQ Gateway to Health and Social Care Careers (Level 5)
- Location
- Langside Campus
- Start Date
- 24 Aug 2026
- Qualification Type
- NQ
- Course Type
- Short Full-Time
- Duration
- 18 weeks (August to January)
Are you a caring, compassionate person who enjoys supporting others and wants to make a real difference in your community? Do you have an interest in being part of a team who supports Health and Social Care staff to carry out their job role and tasks? Do you want to explore the huge variety of careers in Health and Social Care while gaining valuable qualifications that can lead to further study and future employment?
If so, this course is an ideal starting point. It’s designed to help you discover where your strengths lie, build confidence, and take your first step towards a rewarding career in a sector full of opportunity.
What will I learn?
During NQ Gateway to Health and Social Care Careers you'll learn:
- Care values and principles
To help you understand the approaches used to support people who are experiencing health and social issues - Communication in care relationships
To help you develop the important skills you need to engage peopel and understand their needs - Preparation to work in healthcare settings
To introduce you to the wide range of over 90 job roles in the health and social care sector - Wider core skills
- Volunteering
Entry requirements (minimum)
- Three National 4 qualifications, or equivalent, one of which should be English.
- You must be 16 years old or over at the start date of the course.
- You'll be required to provide evidence of your current English level, and you may be required to do an assessment to ensure you are offered a class at the correct level.
- You should demonstrate an interest in health and social care and explain why you want to study this course in the personal statement section of the application form, as well as providing information about any relevant experience you have.
- Applications are also invited from those who have relevant life and/or work experience
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications (SCQF) Framework can help you to check if you're choosing the right level of study. Take a look at the SCQF Interactive Framework here.
If you do not meet the entry criteria for your chosen course, you may be offered an alternative course in the same subject area.
Employer and industry links
We have exciting partnerships with a wide range of services and will invite guest speakers from Health and Social Care Partnership, NHS, and the voluntary and third sectors to tell you about the work they do and the opportunities available for employment.
Jobs and further study
What's the best that could happen?
if you sucessfully complete the course you have guaranteed progression to NQ Gateway to Health and Social Care Careers starting at Glasgow Clyde College in January.
It may also be possible to progress to other Health and Social Care courses starting in January.
Making an application
For courses starting in August, you can make up to two applications.
Applications are made to a course and a first choice of campus. If the course is oversubscribed at your first choice you will be automatically considered for alternative sites and may be made an offer without a further application.
I've applied — what happens next?
When you apply
You will receive an automated email confirming that we have received your application (remember to check your SPAM folder).
Your application will be reviewed by the admissions team and you will either be:
- Invited to attend an information session
- Advised that your application is unsuccessful – you have not met the entry requirements for this course and are advised to contact the College Student Advice Centres to discuss alternative options which may be available to you.
- We aim not to reject an application and if you don’t meet the entry requirements you may be referred to a different course or level.
If you are invited to interview, you will be informed of the outcome of your interview by email within 14 working days. The outcome will be one of the following:
- Unconditional offer of a place – you have met all the entry requirements and your place is guaranteed. You will be required to accept this offer to secure your place.
- Conditional offer of a place – your place is secured pending you meeting the entry requirements. This may mean achieving school or college qualifications which you may not be able to provide to us yet. You will be required to accept this offer to secure your conditional place. Once your conditions are met this will change to an unconditional offer of a place which you must accept before you can enrol on the course.
- Waiting list – you have met all entry requirements, and have been interviewed however, the course is now full so you have been placed on a waiting list. If any spaces become available you may be contacted, usually around the course start date. We would advise that you also consider other application options.
- Reserve list – following your interview, you have unfortunately not been successful in this round of recruitment. We have placed your name on a Reserve list and your application may be reconsidered at a later date. This could happen any time up to the start date of the course but it is very possible that you will not be offered a place. We would advise that you also consider other application options.
- Unsuccessful – your interview has been unsuccessful. You may be offered a place on a course at a different level, or advised to contact the College Student Advice Centres to discuss alternative options which may be available to you.
Once an offer is received, you must reply within 14 working days or risk losing your place, as the system will automatically decline your offer after 14 days.
Once you have accepted your offer, you will be sent out instructions about student funding, joining instructions and induction date. This will normally be sent out in June 2026.